


A Kiss From You (Would Mean The World To Me)

by peridoll



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 22:04:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17650742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peridoll/pseuds/peridoll
Summary: Winter Amedot Week Prompt 1; Valentine's Day. Amethyst and Peridot have been friends since childhood, and every year Amethyst gives something increasingly extravagant as a Valentine's Day gift. As they grow up together they face usual teenage challenges, including Amethyst's secret, growing crush on her childhood friend. But when Peridot falls gravely ill, Amethyst fears their Valentine's Days are numbered, and she scrambles to find the courage to admit her true feelings for her best friend.





	A Kiss From You (Would Mean The World To Me)

**Author's Note:**

> This ABSOLUTELY wasn't supposed to be this long but I literally couldn't stop writing. I've been writing all day nonstop for like. 7 HOURS someone STOP ME PLEASE. I wanted this to be like a bunch of snippets from their life growing up, not sure how well it's worked out? Anyway this was originally gonna have a different ending but I changed my mind like halfway through cuz I love suffering and have zero self-control. Minor content warnings for homophobic middle school language and disease/sickness.

Amethyst met Peridot in a typical Kindergartener way. As the swarm of children rushed for the playground on the first full day of school, Peridot stopped her by tugging on the sleeve of her t-shirt. “Will you push me on the swings?” the runt of a girl asked nervously, swaying back and forth. Amethyst smiled and walked over to the swing set with her new friend with a joyful “Sure!” She gave Peridot a few hearty shoves before hopping on the swing beside her and kicking her legs wildly to catch up. They giggled and swung for the entire recess period before heading back inside, hand in hand.

From that point on, the two were an inseparable pair of troublemakers. Amethyst brought out the bad in Peridot, and, rarely, Peridot brought out the good in Amethyst. They were like peanut butter and jelly, or, more accurately, sugar and spice. During art class, while Peridot used brushes and avoided getting paint on any part of her, Amethyst shoved an entire fist into the paint bucket and slapped it onto her canvas, splattering paint everywhere. During math class, while Peridot sat up straight and kept her elbows off the table, Amethyst built a tower of counting blocks only to knock them over with a loud “BOOM!” Yet somehow, despite living on opposite ends of the spectrum of chaos, they only grew closer. Amethyst’s troublesome antics always made Peridot laugh until she fell out of her chair.

It was Valentine’s Day, and the classroom had been decorated lovingly with strings of hearts, pink confetti, and personalized mailboxes for every student. Amethyst raced for Peridot’s desk, which was on the other side of the room as the teacher was forced to separate them to keep some semblance of order, and slammed a card down onto its surface. “Here, this is for you!” she exclaimed, brushing back her long, dark hair. Peridot squinted, then pointed to her handmade box, decorated with green hearts scribbled with a marker.

“You’re supposed to put it in there,” she explained, but Amethyst ignored her, instead shoving the card into her friend’s hands. She buzzed excitedly as Peridot opened the envelope.

It was a card in the shape of a cartoonishly fat bumblebee, and as Peridot opened it, she read out loud; “Bee… my Valentine?” Amethyst grinned from ear to ear, poking her friend’s side. 

“Get it? Get it? Bee? My dad told me that one!” 

Secretly, Peridot slipped the card into her backpack for safe keeping.

 

After every school day, the duo hugged each other tightly before splitting off; Amethyst to the bus, and Peridot to her mother’s car. One day, as they waited out front for their rides, two strangers approached, waving enthusiastically at Amethyst. The girl waved back, lighting up like the sun. Peridot watched, confused, as the two scooped Amethyst into their arms. She had seen other kid’s parents before, and they all looked very similar, but Amethyst’s parents looked nothing like her. Amethyst’s skin was at least five shades darker than her parents, while they both were relatively white, like Peridot’s skin color. 

“Oh, you must be Peridot!” Amethyst’s mom cooed, holding out a welcoming hand to the girl. She shied away but took the handshake anyway. She wasn’t raised in a barn, after all. She knew her manners perfectly, especially around adults. “Amethyst tells us all of our exciting stories and adventures! It’s nice to finally meet you!”

 

A question bugged Peridot for the rest of the night, and the next morning during snack time, she blurted it out; “Why aren’t you like your parents?” Amethyst tilted her head at first, befuddled, but then placed her baggie of crackers down.

“You mean my skin? It’s cuz I’m adopted,” the girl answered confidently. “That means I came from somewhere else, I didn’t come from them. They picked me out, cuz they liked me so much! But that doesn’t mean they’re not my real mommy and daddy, cuz they still love me bunches.”

“Oh,” Peridot replied, the solution suddenly clear. It made sense; Amethyst was store bought. They went on with their day without a hitch.

 

* * *

 

 

For the next five years, the duo reigned terror on the school wherever they could find it. They always ended up on opposite teams during gym class games and would fight passionately against each other, but after class would stumble into each other’s arms giggling. Peridot helped Amethyst with English and Math homework, while Amethyst helped with her penmanship and what to eat for lunch. Every Valentine’s Day, Amethyst brought Peridot a gift. It evolved from a simple card to a box of Nerds to a Beanie Baby, each year more extravagant than the last.

One day, a few weeks before their fifth grade Valentine’s Day party, Amethyst collapsed into Peridot’s lap during homeroom. “Ughhh, help meeee!” Amethyst whined, hiding her face in Peridot’s shirt. “My parents are having a… baby!”

Peridot adjusted her glasses, prying her friend from her stomach and gripping her shoulders tightly. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Amethyst sniffled, sobs threatening to escape her chest. “It’s… it’s… a boy! He’s supposed to be here by next week, they said. I thought mom was just getting fat, but no! They’re having a stupid baby.” The girl pouted, crossing her arms and stomping a foot on the floor. 

“Jeez, I’m sorry… that sucks. But hey- maybe it won’t be all that bad! You’ll have someone to play with when I can’t hang out after school,” Peridot comforted, giving her friend’s dark hair a pat. She had just started with a new hairstyle, a super high bun that reminded Peridot of a donut. She couldn’t ever resist the urge to smoosh it down whenever she walked by Amethyst’s desk. 

“Hey, why don’t we run away? Then I won’t have to deal with him at all!” Amethyst, mind now flooded with her genius idea, clasped her friend’s hands tightly. 

“Where would we go?” Peridot questioned skeptically.

“I dunno, wherever the wind takes us!” 

“Okay.”

 

That day after school, the two skipped their rides home and instead journeyed into the wooded area behind the Elementary school. They hopped over roots and peeked under rocks for salamanders and frogs. They followed a nature trail, winding between towering trees and down a steep decline. Peridot almost slipped, so Amethyst held onto her hand to help her down a few jagged rocks. Soon, they reached a clearing with a roaring waterfall and sat together on a patch of shriveling grass to share the leftovers from Peridot’s lunches.

They got in a lot of trouble. Peridot was grounded for a month and Amethyst was scolded by her worried parents. They were kept on tight leashes for the remainder of the year, but neither of them regretted their adventure. 

The summer before their first year of middle school, Amethyst’s family went on a trip to Germany with her new baby brother, Steven, to visit her uncle. It was their first summer apart, but they texted daily and Amethyst sent a collection of postcards. They stayed in Germany for the entire season, and when Amethyst arrived for the first day of school, Peridot ran into her arms and hugged her tight. “I missed you!” she shouted, squeezing Amethyst around her stomach. She had grown over the summer, and for the first time in their friendship, the blonde stood taller than her friend. She also had dorky braces.

 

Middle school was like stepping into a brand new world, but they marched bravely through the doors hand in hand. They only shared half of their classes, which was an unwelcome change from Elementary school, but they passed each other in the hallway with high fives and met up during lunch to chat. That Valentine’s Day, Amethyst came to school with a bouquet of roses, and everyone around them snickered. Peridot blushed, shamefully stuffing the flowers into her backpack to hide them. Amethyst stayed blissfully oblivious to the way Peridot frowned every time she reached for her hand.

 

They didn’t hang out as much as Amethyst had anticipated that summer vacation. Peridot spent a lot of time at some lame science camp, while Amethyst smothered her baby brother in affection and went to horse camp for a week. When the first day of school came again like clockwork, Amethyst went to wrangle Peridot into one of her infamous bear hugs, but the girl shrunk away, holding up her hands in defense. 

“Amethyst,” the girl hissed lowly, “We shouldn’t be hugging like that anymore.”

“Why not?!” Amethyst shot back, arms still wide opened for her best friend. She had finally passed Peridot in height, though only by an inch or two. 

“Because! I…” The blonde stepped closer, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. Amethyst’s head hung, her dark hair shielding her face. “I was bullied at camp. Some kids from here called me a dyke and a lesbian, and it… it really hurt. I told them I’m not, but they just shoved me to the ground and yelled at me. They think… we have some sort of thing.”

Amethyst’s bright smile faded as she stared up at her best friend, frustration clouding her mind. “But… but friends can still hug! Why would you listen to some jerks, anyway? It doesn’t matter what they think!” 

“I’m not a lesbian, though! So I don’t want anyone thinking I am! So please, just be normal. No more hugging, no more hand-holding, no more anything. Let’s just be totally normal friends, okay?” 

Amethyst grumbled, her stomach churning with guilt and embarrassment. “Okay, fine…” It wasn’t okay. Not even a bit. Amethyst’s world crumbled apart, but through the rubble of her broken heart, she came to a realization-

 

She had an undeniable crush on Peridot.

 

Despite Peridot’s warning and constant avoidance of any physical contact during the first half of the school year, Amethyst stayed vigilant. She wouldn’t let their friendship fall apart so easily, so she grew overprotective of herself and her best friend. One particular group of bullies lingered near them in the morning while they waited for the first bell to ring, always glancing towards them and doing a terrible job at concealing their judging laughter. Amethyst knew they wanted the duo to hear, they wanted to get some kind of reaction, and while Peridot huddled anxiously in her oversized green hoodie, one morning Amethyst decided to make a stand.

“Hey,” she barked, cutting through to the middle of the circle to face the group’s leader. “Leave Peridot alone. I see you bullying her all the time, I’m not blind. It’s not right! She’s never done anything to you, so why don't you leave her alone?!”

The girl, who stood much taller than Amethyst, crossed her arms over her chest and gave the girl a scornful glower. “She makes me uncomfortable,” she stated matter-of-factly, an evil smirk curling her lips. “She shouldn’t be allowed to change with us in the gym locker room, she probably stares at everyone’s boobs and thinks about us naked. Oh, has she seen  _ you  _ naked? Do you two take showers together? I bet you do, you fuckin’ lezzies-” 

In a moment of unbridled rage, Amethyst clenched a fist and swung at the other girl, knocking her to the ground with one hit. Like a pack of rabid animals, her group swarmed Amethyst, unleashing their own punches to her face and stomach. They were ripped apart from each other by a few teachers, and Amethyst was dragged to the principal’s office.

Peridot met her friend as she exited the nurse’s station, fiddling with the strings on her sweatshirt nervously. Amethyst held an ice pack to her eye, where a nasty bruise was beginning to swell. “They called my parents, so I gotta go home,” she mumbled solemnly, eyes falling to the tiled hallway floor. She froze as arms suddenly wrapped around her, Peridot’s familiar warm scent wafting into Amethyst’s nostrils. Tears spilled over in a rush of overwhelming emotion. They hadn’t hugged for months, and Amethyst was starved.

“You didn’t have to stand up for me like that,” Peridot whispered into her friend’s ear, smoothing back her tousled mane. 

“Of course I did! You’re my best friend. I have to protect you,” Amethyst insisted, quickly blinking away her tears. She didn’t want Peridot to see her crying. Not ever.

“Well…” The blonde stepped away, tucking a strand of her soft, naturally wavy hair behind her ear. “Thank you.”

That Valentine’s Day, Amethyst trudged to school with a massive five-foot-tall stuffed bear, and, unafraid but a little bashful, Peridot accepted it.

 

The rest of the trimester and into their 8th-grade year went without another fight, and the bullying seemed to dwindle. Although they no longer held hands, Peridot warmed back up to goodbye hugs. It filled Amethyst’s heart with joy, and she always skipped home with a pep in her step. One day, a couple days before their winter break, Peridot’s face scrunched up, and Amethyst gave her a concerned shoulder pat. “Hey dude, what’s up?”

Peridot squirmed uncomfortably, stuffing her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. She wore the damn hoodie nearly every day, and it was beginning to fray at the edges and tear at the seams. “Um… uh…” she struggled to get out, chewing on her chapped bottom lip. “My… mom is threatening to send me off to a private Catholic school next year.”

Amethyst blinked in shock, then shook her head. “What?! She can’t do that!”

“Technically she can,” Peridot argued in return, untrimmed eyebrows twitching. “But I have a plan. I’m going to try to convince her to let me stay by getting perfect grades.”

“Yes, great! You’re super smart anyway, I’m sure you can do it.”

 

* * *

 

 

What Amethyst didn’t realize at the time was that more study time meant less play time, and soon Peridot rejected every request to hang out after school. Her answers became short and quick, her face always buried in one textbook or another, and Amethyst felt herself fading into the background. Every effort to make her friend laugh, to try and bring the light back to her stern face, was met with a tired “uh-huh, sure” or a harsh “ssh, I’m studying”. Amethyst grew more and more frustrated as the days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. Even her mother asked about Peridot at the dinner table, and she only ever replied with a halfhearted shrug. 

 

It all came to a head one Friday afternoon. 

 

Amethyst spotted Peridot in her usual spot in the library, surrounded by notebooks and test papers. She approached her friend like she was prey, gently tapping her shoulder to snap her out of her daze. “Hey, Dot, uh… Wanna go see a movie this weekend?” she asked in a library-appropriate whisper, bracing herself for the inevitable denial. Peridot lifted her bloodshot gaze, wiping away a tear from her rosy cheek. 

“I can’t, Amethyst,” she replied stuffily, and quickly returned to her studies. Amethyst tensed, standing above her best friend. Anger bubbled in her chest like a brewing potion.

“Alright, fine. Be that way. It’s not like I just wanna hang out with you, anyway.”

Peridot snapped her exhausted gaze back to her friend, gripping her pencil in her small, bony fist. “You’re just distracting me, Amethyst. I  _ want  _ to hang out with you, but I won’t be able to if I move halfway across the country to another school! You know what- I’m so sick and tired of your games!” Her voice rose to a crackling yell as she rose from her seat, facing the taller girl face-to-face. “I’m not good enough for you, I’m not good enough for my mom, I’m not good enough for anybody! I’m just- trying so hard, but it’ll never be good enough!”

Amethyst stuttered, thrown off by her friend’s uncharacteristic outburst. “T-that’s not it! I just- I miss you! I’m so bored and lonely without you, and it sucks!”

“Well, I don’t care! You’re going to be bored and lonely after I go away forever and we never see each other again! So just- do me a favor and stop trying to talk to me all the time!” 

Amethyst’s heart cracked down the middle, and she stumbled out of the library, blinded by tears. She ran all the way home, slammed her bedroom door shut, and screamed into a pillow. Her mother embraced her as she bawled uncontrollably into her comforting chest.

The duo didn’t speak. They passed each other in the hallways but avoided making eye contact. Amethyst would glance over her shoulder and watch as Peridot walked the other way, her heart aching.

 

That Valentine’s Day, Amethyst left a card in the slot of Peridot’s locker. It read ‘I’m sorry for being mean to you. I didn’t want to hurt you. Please forgive me?’ She didn’t get a reply until the end of June.

 

* * *

 

 

The pre-teen was enjoying the breeze of her fan on the hot Summer day, blasting some heavy metal through the speakers of her laptop, when she heard her mom call up the stairs to her. “Ames, Peridot is here to say hi!” She jumped from her chair and, her heart pounding against her ribcage, raced down the stairs. She stared in disbelief as her best friend stood in the doorway, clutching a card against her chest. She smiled, revealing braceless, straight teeth. She had cut her once shoulder length blonde hair to a short bob that framed her cute, angular face perfectly. Amethyst’s cheeks burned. 

They wandered to the backyard, taking a seat at the patio table. The two sat in a discomforting silence for a few moments, before Peridot spoke first; “My mom is letting me stay.”

Amethyst swept her long hair over her shoulder, mouth agape in shock. She wanted to say a lot, but nothing came out.

“So… I get to go to school with you for another four years, at least.” Peridot’s smooth face turned pink as she glanced away bashfully. Amethyst was jealous of her perfect, glowing skin, nearly unscathed by obnoxious pimples, the exact opposite of Amethyst’s. A lot of the time, the raven-haired girl hid behind her giant mop, self-conscious of the blemishes along her forehead and jaw. But Peridot… Peridot made her heart skip.

“Wow… That’s… great,” Amethyst finally managed to say, running her fingers through her knotted hair. “I’m so happy for you.”

Peridot set the card down on the table, thrumming her fingers along the written lines on the inside. “You know… you shouldn’t have felt like you had to apologize. It was my fault, I was being the complete lunatic. I was so scared that I wasn’t going to be able to see you anymore, I ended up driving you away anyway…”

At last, Amethyst was able to shake her flabbergasted spell, and she reached out to take Peridot’s hand in hers. “It’s okay, I was scared, too. I didn’t want to lose you, and I felt you slipping away. That fight was so stupid, anyway. We were both dumb-dumbs. But hey- look at you! You look so great! I mean, that hair! And you don’t have braces anymore! I can’t call you a nerd.” 

With a breathtaking giggle, Peridot adjusted her round glasses. “I’m still the same nerd, just with some upgrades. Do you… really like the hair? My hairdresser went a little shorter than I wanted but…” Nervously, the blonde rubbed a strand between her fingers. 

Amethyst’s eyes twinkled as she leaned over the surface of the table. “I love it! I think it fits you so well! Jeez, I need to catch up. I haven’t gotten a haircut in, like, five years!”

The next week, when Amethyst showed up at Peridot’s door to hang out, she revealed a new hairdo as well; something breezy and swept back with a streak of purple at the front.

 

* * *

 

 

The crack of the century came when, upon entering high school, their jittering nerves were only made worse when they realized their schedules were completely different. They shared zero classes with each other and were even assigned different lunch periods. Amethyst’s spirit dropped, but Peridot gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “Oh, c’mon, it’ll be fine! We’ll still hang out after school! And look- You have a free study period while I have lunch! You can come and visit me!”

Class dragged for Amethyst as she struggled to pay attention, mind distracted by the thought of Peridot’s smile. Her crush ballooned into something desperate; she daydreamed about kissing her friend, holding her under a beautiful sunset but only looking into her eyes. She would say “You’re more beautiful than any sunset” and Peridot would giggle her addictive little giggle, and they would kiss, and kiss, and kiss some more. During her free study period, she did as Peridot suggested- she snuck out of the library and raced to the cafeteria.

She weaved through the zoo of lunch tables until she spotted her friend, already sitting with a group of other students. “Hey, shrimp!” she greeted, throwing herself over Peridot’s shoulder. The blonde scooted over, giving Amethyst just enough space to squeeze in beside her. Their thighs pressed together.

“Oh, hey! How are your classes going?” Peridot looped a short arm around Amethyst’s shoulders, giving her a warm side hug. 

“They’re terrible. Sooo boring without you,” Amethyst whined, nuzzling affectionately against Peridot’s hand. Only then did she notice a burning glare coming from Peridot’s other side; a girl who wore black lipstick, dark eyeshadow, and had a messy mop of deep blue hair. 

“Aww, sorry,” Peridot cooed in response, then leaned back and motioned to the punk looking girl. “ Mine are pretty okay so far! This is Lapis, she’s in my History class.”

The girl nodded to Amethyst, still staring straight through her. “Hey. History class sucks. Ms. Holly is a total dickwad, isn’t she, Peridot?” Lapis twirled a piece of Peridot’s soft hair between her fingers, and Amethyst felt a stab of jealousy. ‘ _ Who the hell does she think she is?! It was only the first day of school, and this chick is already canoodling?! With my best friend?!’  _

Peridot giggled, accentuated by a dorky snort. “She’s a little harsh, but she’s not too bad.”

Angry electricity sparked between Amethyst and Lapis, but Peridot seemed completely oblivious to it. Amethyst decided right then and there that she didn’t like Lapis. Not when she was already so handsy with her friend. 

 

And it only got worse from there.

 

Though they didn’t see each other much, the inseparable duo’s lockers were on the same floor, so every morning Amethyst hunted Peridot down to say hi. Most mornings, Lapis beat her to it, and she had to stand awkwardly and watch as the girl wrapped her arms around Peridot’s soft waist and pull her into a hug. They were  _ too close _ , and the jealousy swelled like a monster in Amethyst’s heart. Some days after school when she found Peridot standing out front, their arms would be intertwined, and when she asked Peridot if she wanted to hang out, Lapis would drag her away. Peridot would shout an apology behind her, something about “we have to study!” before disappearing down the road.

Luckily, the raven-haired girl found her own friend circle, as well. She spent her lunch period with them, and soon enough they were close enough for Amethyst to spill her suffering heart out onto their lunch trays. “I just- hate seeing her touching Peridot like she does! It’s like she thinks she owns her! She’s so grabby all the time, it’s annoying!”

“Well, why don’t you tell her how you feel?” Pearl, a smartypants clarinet player from Amethyst’s math class, suggested, picking disgustedly at her school-provided meal. 

Amethyst cringed, shaking her head. “I can’t do that, I would ruin our entire friendship.”

“You don’t know that unless you try,” her other friend, a student government member with a fluffy afro and a British accent named Garnet, added in, shrugging her shoulders. “Do you want to keep your feelings a secret forever?”

Amethyst clutched her twisted chest, hanging her head. “N-no, but… she’s not gay, so it’ll never be a thing, anyway. But I still can’t get over her! I think about her nonstop.”

“You’re helpless, Am,” Pearl declared with a sigh. “The only way you’re going to solve any of this is by being honest.”

Amethyst considered her friend’s suggestions as she stared up at the ceiling at night. She tossed and turned, tormented by her jealousy and pitiful inability to simply get down on one knee and confess her love for her best friend.

 

Valentine’s Day was tomorrow.

 

Amethyst was running late for school after sleeping through her alarm, so she missed the first bell and meeting Peridot to give her this year’s gift. It was an expensive but tiny box of chocolates from a fancy online chocolatier. Each one was filled with a different flavor; coconut, raspberry, caramel, marshmallow… And chocolate was Peridot’s greatest weakness. Before hurrying off to class, Amethyst stopped by Peridot’s locker, and-

A note stuck out from one of the slots. 

Every fiber of her being told Amethyst to leave it alone, that it wasn’t any of her business, but the note was covered with blue heart stickers and her curiosity drove her to pluck the letter from her friend’s locker. Swallowing thickly, she opened it and read what was written in fancy cursive; “ _ My dear Peridot, kiss me by the stairwell? Love, Lapis _ ”. A personalized red lipstick kiss smeared the other side.

Amethyst’s fingers went numb and her heart leaped up to her throat. “Oh, fuck no,” she swore under her breath. There was no way she would let a sleazeball like Lapis steal Peridot’s first kiss. With shaky fingers, she tore the handwritten love letter into as many pieces as possible and tossed them into the nearest trash bin. With a piece of ribbon, she tied her own gift to Peridot’s lock, then turned to leave, a pit of sudden guilt caving her stomach. But there was no turning back, she ripped it and she couldn’t tape it back together.

During her free study block, the raven-haired girl bolted for the cafeteria, beaming in delight. This was it, this was the day she would declare her affection for her best friend. She puffed up in confidence as she entered the lunch hall, to find-

Peridot sitting alone, with Lapis nowhere in sight. The tiny, encouraging voice in the back of Amethyst’s head hooted in joy. She snuck up behind her friend, who had already cracked into the box of delicate chocolates. “Boo!” 

“Shit- Amethyst! Don’t scare me like that, you know I have a weak heart,” the blonde startled out of her own socks, and Amethyst laughed, giving her friend an apologetic hug. She sat down, their knees bumping together. 

“So hey, where’s your weird goth friend?” Amethyst questioned, rolling her eyes. “Did she go crawl back into her swamp?”

Surprisingly, Peridot snorted in amusement. Previously, when Amethyst had made such snide remarks about the girl, Peridot defended her. “Yeah, she did.”

“Oh shit, I was joking.” Intrigued, Amethyst rest her cheek on an elbow and leaned in closer. “Did something happen?”

A disheartened look flashed in Peridot’s eyes, and she shrugged. “She… tried to kiss me before second period, on the stairs. I mean- she  _ did  _ kiss me.” Amethyst’s heart sank, and she watched as Peridot gnawed on her bottom lip. “But it was  _ weird _ , it felt wrong. So I told her I didn't like her like that, and she got mad at me. She- she blamed you! She told me I was too obsessed with you, and I told her she was crazy. And then I said I didn’t want to be friends anymore. I thought she was cool and that we were  _ just  _ friends, but… I guess not. I guess she was just trying to get in my pants this entire time.” Peridot rubbed her own arm, staring shamefully down at her tray of untouched food.

“Jeez… That’s rough, buddy, I’m sorry.” Suddenly, Amethyst’s plans to confess her crush burst into flames. And with it went her confidence.

 

* * *

 

 

Amethyst didn’t see much of Peridot during the summer after their freshman year, though it was for a good reason. Her best friend had been accepted to an exclusive science program at a nearby university for young STEM students, and she had accepted it gleefully. But she also caught the flu halfway through the summer, and that left her friend bedridden for two weeks straight with a loud and painful cough. Amethyst visited her with soup, crackers, and a movie, and, despite her friend’s protests, stayed to keep her company. 

 

Even after the fever waned and her cough dwindled, Peridot was still racked with the occasional coughing fit. The first one Amethyst witnessed was during their shared Literature class. It was during a test, so a focused silence strangled the entire room. It came out of nowhere, Peridot suddenly hacking violently and struggling to breathe. She collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood into her own hand, and the teacher rushed her out of the room. 

 

The rest of the class crowded around the window as an ambulance pulled up, and Amethyst watched in horror as they wheeled her best friend out on a stretcher.

 

Through text, Peridot insisted that she was okay, that it was a simple infection gone wrong. But when the guidance counselor called her into his office, handed her a stack of assignments, and asked her to deliver them to Peridot, she began to worry. 

On Peridot’s doorstep, Amethyst shifted uncomfortably. Her mother answered the door and took the papers, sternly standing guard. Amethyst tried to glance around her, tried to get a peek at her best friend, but she was denied entrance, the door shut right in her face.

She was only able to sneak in to visit Peridot when her mom was busy at work. The first time it was Peridot who answered the door, Amethyst sighed in relief. “Oh thank god, it’s not your mom!”

“Nope, it’s not,” Peridot answered with a sure nod, cracking an exhausted smile. “Come in, I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, shit- you’ve been out of school for, like, a month!” Amethyst noticed the way Peridot shuffled weakly around the house, wearing loose-fitting clothes. Her skin had paled, no longer glowing. They sat down together on the couch where Peridot was watching a documentary on Earth. 

“I know, I hate it. I feel so trapped here, but my doctor said I couldn’t go back to school until my lungs were clear. I’ve never been so bored in my entire life.” 

Anxiously, Amethyst twiddled her thumbs. “So… any idea what it is?”

Peridot shrugged, sinking into the couch cushions and tucking her knees up against her chest. “They’re not sure. It’s just a really bad cough. I’ve gotten so many damn tests done in the past month, it’s crazy.”

“I bet, dude. You look exhausted.”

Peridot giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. “I am, thanks! All I ever do is sleep, but I still feel tired all the time.”

Amethyst smirked, an idea swirling in her mind like a forming stormcloud. “Hey, you’re bored? Wanna do something fun?”

Curious and desperate for any kind of entertainment, Peridot tilted her head. “Like what?”

The raven-haired girl dug through her backpack and dramatically unveiled two bottles of hair dye, one neon green and one deep purple. Peridot’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “My mom would murder me if she came home and I had green hair.”

“Yeah she would! So, let’s do it.”

“Okay!”

 

When they heard Peridot’s mom pull into the driveway, Amethyst snuck out the back door, but could hear the stern woman’s screaming as she snaked around the side of the house. She peeked into a window, catching a glimpse of the scene inside. Peridot looked hot with her new bright green hair, Amethyst decided, but she was even hotter as she took a defiant stand against her mother.

 

Amethyst was barred from coming back to visit, but it didn’t stop her.

 

On Valentine’s Day, Amethyst slinked through the neighborhood, though the giant heart-shaped balloon certainly gave her away. Peridot’s mother’s car was absent from the driveway, so she seized the moment and dashed for the door, jabbing the doorbell with vigor. When Peridot swung open the door to answer, Amethyst threw her arms around her friend. “Happy V-Day, P-Dot!”

Peridot gasped, pointing up at the balloon in disbelief. “Oh my god- Amethyst, where the hell am I supposed to put that thing?! I think my mom will notice it!” she squeaked, quickly dragging Amethyst and the balloon inside the house. She beamed, though when she smiled it accentuated the bags under her eyes and the unfamiliar jaggedness of her cheekbones.

“Ohhh, I didn’t think of that,” Amethyst joked playfully, giving her friend a nudge. “Don’t worry about it, we can, uh… let it free!”

Peridot snorted, nudging Amethyst in return. “You’re so stupid sometimes,” she teased lovingly, and Amethyst blushed.

“Yeah, I know. It’s kinda my brand.”

 

They settled on the couch together and flicked through the channels until they found something worth watching, but Peridot seemed distracted. She held her skinny fingers in her lap, eyes flickering here and there. At last, she broke her own tension by placing a hand on Amethyst’s leg. “Can I… tell you something?”

Amethyst’s mind wandered. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She covered Peridot’s frail hand with her own, grazing her friend’s unusually dry skin. “Of course, you can tell me anything.”

Peridot worried her bottom lip roughly, and Amethyst forced herself to look away. They were so close to each other, close enough for her to lean in and press her full lips against Peridot’s-

“I’m gay,” Peridot blurted out, interrupting Amethyst’s daydream. She must’ve misheard. Confused, Amethyst’s eyebrows scrunched together.

“Wait, what…?”

“I-I’m gay,” her best friend repeated, squeezing Amethyst’s hand for comfort. “I came out to my mom last night, too. She took it… surprisingly well. I think she’s just more concerned about my health right now.”

It must’ve been a dream. Amethyst needed to pinch herself to wake up. It  _ must’ve  _ been a dream. She shook her head, clearing her scrambling thoughts, and flashed a wide grin. “So am I, dude. This isn’t a surprise to me at all.” 

Peridot’s gorgeous hazel eyes widened, and she slipped her hand away from Amethyst’s. “Wait, really? You’re gay too?”

Amethyst cackled, tilting her snapback down and motioning to her outfit. “Hello, Earth to Peri! Of course I’m gay, have you seen me?!”

“Well, I- I-” Peridot stammered, flustered by the easiness of the conversation. “I don’t know! I just- Remember the whole Lapis thing from last year? That made me think for the first time that maybe I  _ am  _ gay. I didn’t want to kiss  _ her _ , but it made me think… Maybe I do want to kiss a girl.” Peridot’s thin eyelashes fluttered, and Amethyst’s heart skipped. She leaned in, and for a brief moment Amethyst expected them to kiss, but she instead embraced her closely, resting her weak head on the raven-haired girl’s shoulder. “God, thank you for making this so easy. You’re the best friend a lesbian could ask for.”

Amethyst rubbed her crush’s back. She could barely breathe, the gentle hug squeezing all of the air from her lungs, and it hurt so good. “Haha, yeah… best friend…”

 

The next day, Amethyst stormed into the cafeteria, plopped down beside Pearl and Garnet, and let out a louder-than-expected “SHE’S GAY”. They both dropped their forks in astonishment. “Great, now you tell her how you feel!” Pearl pressured, but Amethyst only laughed and shook her head.

 

“Not yet, it’s still not the right time.”

 

* * *

 

 

Peridot spent the remainder of the year and the entirety of summer vacation in and out of the doctor’s office. Amethyst begged to tag along, wanting to keep her company, but she always insisted against it. So Amethyst always waited patiently for her to reply to her worried “How’s it going?” texts. It was always a promising “Good, I’m still breathing :)”.

Come their Junior year of high school, Amethyst was surprised to see Peridot returned to the hallowed hallways of their school in better health. Their schedules lined up much better than the previous years. They shared a lunch block and, with Amethyst’s newly leased car bought by her parents for her birthday, they went out to eat nearly every day. But Amethyst couldn’t help but to notice although Peridot was present at school, and she surely was standing, the lively sparkle in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a constant pained daze.

During lunch one day, Peridot muttered a sentence that struck fear in Amethyst’s already tender heart; “We need to talk.”

They sat across from each other at a local diner only a few blocks from the school, a usual pick. Over her stack of fluffy pancakes, Amethyst stared at her friend unblinking. Dread washed over her and sweat beaded at her hairline. “Uh, yeah, we can. What is it…?” Like a caged animal, her heart beat against her chest, threatening to break free. 

Peridot toyed with the salt shaker, dumping a pile beside her hashbrowns. “They… diagnosed me.”

“Oh?” Agitated and antsy, Amethyst leaned over the table, smiling unsurely. “That’s good, right? It’s been a giant mystery for a full year.”

Peridot sucked in a mouthful of diner air, wincing before the words even left her lips; “It’s incurable. The doctors say I have one year left to live.”

Amethyst froze, unable to move a muscle. Maybe if she stayed as still as possible time would stop, she thought. Slowly she dragged her teary gaze up to her best friend. “Oh my god, Peridot… You’re… joking, right?”

The blonde, hair recently chopped shorter than ever into a spiky pixie cut, shook her head solemnly. For a moment, she crumpled into her own palms, a sharp sob escaping her shriveling body, but she collected herself expertly. “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry about this anymore. For the past two months, that’s all I’ve been doing. And all I’ve heard is ‘oh, what a tragedy! She’s so young and filled with so much potential!’ But, Amethyst-” The girl slid her plate to the side, reaching over and grabbing her friend’s hands. “I don’t want to die miserable and sad. I want to die with no regrets and surrounded by friends I love. I trust you not to pity me, I trust you to treat me like you always have. So, please… Ignore everything I just said and let's pretend I’m not on a final countdown.”

 

* * *

 

 

They kept the news as their own secret, though everyone suspected that Peridot was gravely ill. Especially when she stopped coming to school all together halfway through their Senior year. Amethyst kept a brave, undisturbed smile, but inside she was panicking. Her heart ached every morning when Peridot texted her “Good morning! Still kicking.” Every day she told herself would be the day she confessed her love for her best friend. They were closer than ever; Amethyst visited the hospital every day to the point the nurses on duty recognized her and greeted her. She snuck in snack-size bags of Smartfood popcorn, Peridot’s favorite chocolate bars, and other goodies. They snuggled up together in Peridot’s hospital bed, being careful not to unplug any of the various chords hooked up to machines and stuck into the girl’s arms. Some days she wore an oxygen mask, but it didn’t stop her from bursting into laughter as they watched the newest episodes of their favorite sitcom. Some nights Peridot dozed off against Amethyst’s shoulder, and, unbeknownst to the sleeping girl, Amethyst would kiss the top of her head before she left. 

For Valentine’s Day, Peridot’s room was flooded with cards, balloons, and roses from classmates and family members, painting her room in a glow of pink and red. But Amethyst got her the best card, the biggest bouquet, and the prettiest balloons. She squeezed the flowers into one of the vases while Peridot read her card, and as she finished she sniffled. “This is the nicest card you’ve ever gotten me, Ames. Usually all of your cards are super jokey, but…” She rubbed her sensitive, sore eyes, then offered a weak smile.

“Yeah, I thought I’d go a little different this year,” Amethyst replied, jamming her hands into her sweatpants pockets. “I just wanted to let you know how much I love you and appreciate you. You deserve it.” The raven-haired girl perched on the edge of the bed, giving her friend’s thigh a pat. 

“Thank you, you’re sweet. You’ve always been so sweet…” Peridot hugged Amethyst’s arm to her chest, and she tensed up. Her confession had been on the tip of her tongue for months, but every time she went to say it, she chickened out. Every day she would go to lunch and get expected stares from Pearl and Garnet, but it was never news they wanted to hear. She continued to bottle it up, but the cork holding everything in wiggled desperately to be popped open. ‘ _ Soon, _ ’, she kept telling herself. ‘ _ I’ll do it soon. _ ’

They sat in a cozy silence, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Peridot smelled of bitter chocolate and sweet candy. She could only imagine the taste of her lips. Hesitantly, Amethyst twirled a piece of her soft hair between her fingers. The neon green from their daring hair dye session had faded to a beautiful pale shade that blended perfectly with her blonde roots.

“You know what sucks?” Peridot suddenly broke the silence, and Amethyst glanced down at her sickly friend. “My mom isn’t letting me apply to any colleges.”

“What? Why not? That’s stupid, you’re the smartest dumb bitch I know,” Amethyst teased, pinching her friend’s pallid cheek. 

Peridot giggled, her laugh muffled by her oxygen mask but still drizzled in the sweetest honey. It made Amethyst nearly faint. “It makes sense realistically. It would be a total waste for me to go through all the trouble of applying and setting up my student loans and then dying halfway through my first semester.” Amethyst flinched, though she had mostly gotten used to the straightforward way Peridot approached her impending death. She had always been the rational one, thinking logically through every situation. Even this one.

“So… I guess that’s that, huh?” the blonde continued, flicking back a short strand of hair from her forehead. “I probably won’t even make it to graduation. I can barely walk nowadays.”

“Oh hell no,” Amethyst backed away, pointing a stern, demanding finger at her best friend. “You’re making it to graduation one way or another. Even if I have to carry you across the damn stage! I’ll do it, I swear.”

 

 

 

Despite the doctor’s warnings, Amethyst arranged for a wheelchair van to shuttle Peridot to the indoor auditorium the day of their graduation. She met her by the front door, tossed her graduation gown over her hospital gown, pinned her cap to her hair with a few bobby pins, and wheeled her inside. It had been her first taste of the outside world all year and Amethyst’s heart burst with love as Peridot’s face lit up. They marched together, Amethyst sat at the end of the aisle with her, and when it came time to receive their diplomas, Amethyst wheeled her up to accept it. After flipping their tassels and throwing their caps into the crowd, they embraced tightly, and Amethyst whispered in Peridot’s ear; “I told you I’d make it happen.”

 

* * *

 

 

Amethyst paced her room, shorts sticking to her sweaty legs. The hot summer sun beat down on her through her window. She tapped her foot, scratched nervously at her arms, and stopped in front of her mirror to fix her hair. She tied her dark locks back into a ponytail, grumbled, released it and fluffed it out, grumbled again, and finally decided on a messy, donut-shaped bun. This was the day. This was her last chance. If she chickened out on this, Peridot would probably never know how she truly felt. She was hopping on a plane to fly halfway across the world in 24 hours. So with one final grin to her reflection, Amethyst marched out the door and didn’t look back.

She knocked on the hospital room door frame to announce her arrival, and Peridot snapped her hazel gaze up from her book. Smiling, she bookmarked her spot and set the novel aside. “Happy Valentine’s Day~!” Amethyst sang joyfully, dancing into the room energetically. Peridot squinted doubtfully, but double checked the calendar hanging beside the TV anyway. 

“Amethyst, it’s August,” Peridot pointed out worriedly. “Are you feeling okay?”

Amethyst cackled her signature laugh, pulling up one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs and plopping down beside the bed. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… have to tell you something, and it’s gonna hurt.”

“I’ve been suffering for the past two years of my life, nothing you say or do can hurt me.” Blinking, Peridot reached for Amethyst’s hands, her sunken cheeks turning pink. 

“Uh… well…” Amethyst shifted in her seat, intertwining their fingers and leaning in closer to her best friend and lifelong crush. “I’m… moving to Germany for my first year of college.” She recoiled, squeezing her eyes shut in fear as she let her words settle in the room. She reluctantly popped one eye open to catch Peridot’s reaction.

“Oh, wow. That’s so cool! I’m so proud of you, Amethyst. I always knew you would do something great after high school, but you always doubted me.” To Amethyst’s dismay, Peridot was all smiles. She stuttered, struggling to find anything to counter the optimistic response with.

“But- but- that means I won’t see you for that year. I might not see you ever again-”

“Because I might die before you come back.” 

“Exactly.”

Peridot’s smile faded, though her lips still curled in acceptance. “It’s okay, Amethyst. You don’t have to worry about me. You’ve always been so protective of me, you’re always sacrificing everything for me, but now you have to go out there and do something for yourself.” Amethyst bit back tears that threatened to fill her eyes, rapidly blinking them away. “So… you wanted to give me a Valentine’s Day gift early, then? What is it?”

Amethyst cleared her throat, forcing her voice to stay strong. “This year, I’m giving you something different from anything else I’ve ever given to you. But it’s something I’ve been thinking about for years, literally  _ years _ . I have to get it off my chest before I leave, or I’d probably explode.” She sucked in a centering breath, fingers trembling against Peridot’s tiny, bony hands. “Peridot, this year I’m giving you my heart.”

Peridot paused, her face twisting in confusion. “Your… heart?”

“Yes.” ‘ _ Here goes nothing. This is it. _ ’ “I’ve had a huge crush on you since 7th grade, and I didn’t want to leave before telling you that I love you. Not like a friend thing, like a… I  _ really  _ love you thing. Like I’ve been daydreaming about calling you mine and holding you and kissing you for the past four years of my life. I can’t hold it in anymore, I’m sorry.”

Her stomach knotted violently as Peridot’s hands slipped away from hers, and her face turned beet red. Peridot rested her frail face against her palms, hiding for a moment, before sobs began to rack her body. No… they weren’t sobs… They were giggles. Wild, rampant giggles slathered in sweetness, and Amethyst’s heart melted at the sound. “Oh dear lord,” Peridot managed to get out between her fits of laughter, “We’re idiots!” 

“We are…?” Peridot slid over to the very edge of the bed until she was close enough to wrap her arms around Amethyst, burying her cold nose into the crook of her friend’s neck. Apprehensively, Amethyst hugged her back around her slim waist, hands slipping under the warm covers. 

“Yes! We both are!” Peridot pulled away enough for them to come face to face, mere inches away from each other. “You’re the biggest dummy for keeping it a secret, but I’m an even bigger dummy for being so blind!”

Her contagious laughter spread to Amethyst, and soon she joined her best friend. Hot, emotional tears streaking down her face. “You’ve always been blind, stupid. Those glasses never helped you one bit.” 

Her breath smelled like fresh, strong, minty toothpaste, and it intoxicated Amethyst. Even through the sickening and overwhelming sterile stench of the hospital, Peridot’s warm scent still lingered, and Amethyst was desperate to bury her face into her chest, inhale her very essence, and take it with her on the plane. Slowly, they inched closer and closer, until their lips brushed together. 

“A kiss from you would mean the world to me, Peridot,” Amethyst whispered, her fingers tracing her best friend’s jawline. Without a moment more of hesitation, Peridot tilted her head and leaned into Amethyst’s full, soft lips, her arms still locked around her neck. They kissed for what felt like hours, and Amethyst prayed for the moment to never end, but Peridot jerked away, inhaling a pained, shallow breath of air. “Sorry, was I suffocating you?”

Peridot shook her head, tousling her short, bouncy hair. “It was worth it,” she muttered drunkenly in response, leaning all of her weight onto Amethyst’s shoulders (though she weighed as much as a pea, and Amethyst supported her with ease). “I told myself one of the last things I wanted to do before I died was kiss you. So now…” The girl caressed Amethyst’s cheek, tucking a piece of loose, dark hair behind her ear. “I can die happily.”

 

Begrudgingly, Amethyst tore herself from the girl. She held onto her hand even as she stood from the edge of the bed. They had held each other for two hours, but Amethyst knew the moment had to end eventually. She still had to pack for her long journey across the globe, and, like a bandaid, she knew she had to rip away quickly. She gave one last kiss to Peridot’s lips, their fingers, one by one, untwining, until it was just the pads of their pointer fingers touching. Amethyst backed away slowly, dark eyes locked with Peridot’s blissful hazel gaze. “Goodbye, Dot. I love you.”

“I love you too, Amethyst.” 

As she walked away, the girl burst into tears, her heart shattering into a million pieces. Leaving her loved one behind felt like a betrayal, and her chest hurt more than it had in her entire life. More than the jealousy, more than the rejection, and more than her own childish refusal to admit her feelings. She hopped on the plane with her family and left Peridot to die alone.

 

* * *

 

 

The two fell out of touch.

 

Amethyst excused it as her being so busy with her new campus life, but every day a pang of nagging guilt tugged at her heartstrings. She could’ve texted Peridot to see how she was doing, but every time she considered pressing the send button, she feared for the worst. What if she didn’t respond? She knew exactly what that would mean, and she couldn’t bear to face that thought. Every night she stared up at the night sky and wondered if Peridot’s soul twinkled among the dancing stars. 

The first thing she did after she landed back home after her first year of university was start her car and race to the hospital.

 

It may have been inappropriate to intrude in on the hospital and ask if a patient from a year ago had passed, but she had to know. She couldn’t stand the torment of the unknown. She took the stairs instead of the elevator, jogging up six flights to reach the right floor, and by the time she reached the long, stretching hallway, she was out of breath. But still, she ran down the hallway, dodging nurses and patients, counting down the numbers of the rooms as she went. ‘ _ 625, 624, 623, 622… _ ’ 

She stopped at an open door, the room where Peridot used to stay. It was empty, bare, lifeless. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. It was just as she expected, and, heartbroken, she spun around to leave.

 

 

“Amethyst…?” a familiar, quiet voice spoke from behind her. The girl froze, heart skipping. “Is that you?”

 

 

Slowly, as if in a dream-like state, Amethyst turned on her heel, and her jaw dropped to the floor.

 

 

Peridot stood there, just as stunned as Amethyst, and she wheeled a suitcase behind her as she stepped closer, her face twisting in a series of unsure emotions. The color had returned to her face, skin glowing and eyes glittering with life. She had gained some weight back, her curves soft and inviting. She wore a grungy green sweatshirt that was tearing at the seams, a garment as old as Amethyst’s love for the girl wearing it. Like nervous animals, they tiptoed closer to each other, before realization dawned on them both. 

“Oh my god, you’re ALIVE!” Amethyst screeched, scooping the petite girl into a bear hug and swinging her around in a circle. “I can’t believe it! You’re- you’re still here!”

“I am! I’m still kicking!” the girl yelled in return, matching Amethyst’s volume and enthusiasm. “Something told me to come down this hallway, I knew it meant something!” Amethyst dropped her lifelong crush back to her feet, grasping her face and squeezing her plush cheeks. 

“I don’t get it, I thought the doctors said you only had, like, a year left to live!” 

“I know! So did I! After you left, I went into emergency heart surgery because I went into cardiac arrest, and they gave me a whole damn new heart! There’s a bunch of wires and shit in there now, I’m  _ basically  _ a cyborg.” Peridot giggled uncontrollably, hooking her fingers in Amethyst’s belt loops and tugging her closer until they were flush against each other. “After that, I started to get better. The doctors were so confused, they had no clue how I survived the surgery, let alone everything else I went through! But it was like magic. And I swear, Amethyst, when I was on that operating table with my chest ripped open, I saw your face and I heard you say ‘ _ I’m giving you my heart _ ’. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I’m convinced that  _ you  _ somehow saved me! It makes sense, right? You gave me your heart, and suddenly I’m completely healed! They gave me the okay to leave, and I was literally just on my way out!” 

Amethyst bundled Peridot into her arms, burying her face into the girl’s warm neck. “You do sound crazy,” she mumbled, muffled by her love’s soft skin. Her hair had grown back to a bob, and it bounced with every little movement she made. “But, fuck- I’m so happy to see you! I-I’m sorry I never texted you, I was too scared to know if you had died. I didn’t want to know, I wanted my last memory of you to be something enjoyable.”

“I understand, I was kinda the same way. I had no clue what to say, ‘Oh hey, just me. I’m totally fine now, false alarm!’”

Amethyst pulled away, cupping the shorter girl’s face and leaning in for a kiss, but before she could make contact, Peridot pressed a hand to her lips. “Hold on, I have something to give you.” Excitedly, the girl hopped back to her luggage, unzipping the front pocket and hiding something behind her back. “For all those years you got me Valentine’s Day gifts, I never got you anything in return. So…” She revealed the gift, a small box with a simple velvet heart on the top. “Ta-da! Happy belated Valentine’s Day.” Amethyst accepted the gift and used her teeth to rip through the tape, eagerly opening the top as Peridot giggled wildly beside her. 

It was a palm-sized heart, and in the center suspended in the resin was a small chunk of peridot. Amethyst lifted it carefully from the velvet-lined inside, eyes shining dreamily. “It’s my heart,” Peridot explained, fiddling with the strings on her sweatshirt. “Since you gave yours to me and it saved my life, I wanted to give you mine, too.” 

Beneath the heart lay a card, and upon closer inspection, Amethyst recognized it from when they were just kids. It was a cartoonishly fat bumblebee, and on the inside, it read ‘ _ Bee my Valentine _ ’. “You kept this stupid thing?!” Amethyst burst out, disbelief coating her crackly voice. 

“Of course I did, silly! I’ve kept all of your Valentine’s gifts.” Peridot squeaked as Amethyst swept her off her feet again, and she looped her arms around the girl’s neck for support. 

“Peridot, I just have one question…” Amethyst grew serious for a moment, gazing affectionately up at her love. “Will you  _ bee  _ my girlfriend?” 

Peridot snorted, giving Amethyst’s ear a playful tug. “I thought I already was, dummy! Of course I will  _ bee _ your girlfriend!” 

Their lips collided in a passionate kiss and the hospital hallway faded into the background. In that moment, it was just Amethyst and Peridot wrapped up in each other’s arms. They kissed until they couldn’t breathe, and Peridot pulled away first, pressing their foreheads together tenderly. “Hey,” she whispered, getting lost in Amethyst’s deep, starry eyes. “Why don’t we run away?”

Amethyst cracked a knowing smirk. “Where would we go?”

Peridot shrugged playfully, swaying back and forth with her love. “I don’t know, wherever the wind takes us.”

Amethyst cupped the girl’s pink cheeks, planting another gentle kiss onto her lips. 

“Okay."


End file.
